EXCLUSIVE | DJ Yves V says ‘it’s getting insane’ as he speaks on collab with VIVIZ and K-pop
Since 2014, Belgian DJ Yves V has been setting up stellar music on international stages. He has travelled far and wide and shared his mind-blowing sets with a global audience. With over 4.5 million listeners on Spotify, DJ Yves V has certainly made a mark on the music community. The Belgian DJ has several hits like ‘Wait Till Tomorrow’, ‘Echo’, ‘High Like This’ and has worked with the likes of Steve Aoki, Missy Elliot, TWICE and Icona Pop.
MEAWW spoke to DJ Yves V about his latest collaboration with K-pop girl group VIVIZ for the track ‘Bop Bop’, working with TWICE for ‘The Feels’, and his interest in working with other K-pop artists as well. In an exclusive interview with MEAWW, the DJ also shared a message for those who wish to pursue a career in DJ-ing and his stint with Tomorrowland.
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MEAWW: Please shed some light on your work with VIVIZ for ‘Bop Bop’. How did that come to be? What was the process like?
Yves V: Hey guys, thanks for having me! I’m a big fan of pop music and working with vocalists, so this felt pretty organic for me and I was so excited that our management teams could make this happen! The VIVIZ ladies are championing the fun and pop appeal of K-pop to audiences all over the world, so it was a simple process of bringing them into the dance world and switching up ‘Bop Bop’ for the dancefloor!
MEAWW: You have even worked with TWICE on their 2021 hit single ‘The Feels’! Which other K-pop artists would like to collaborate with next?
Yves V: That was also another fun remix! It would be amazing to work with BTS or BLACKPINK, both amazing acts that are again, pushing the K-pop sound to the world but in their own unique styles.
MEAWW: You are also one of the few major foreign DJs to play at Big Bird Music Festival in South Korea. How did you get into the K-pop industry?
Yves V: I think I’m lucky that fans over in South Korea are really receptive to my music – and love to party! Especially with an event such as Big Bird Music Festival, it feels very cosmopolitan, modern and forward-thinking, especially being right near to a city like Seoul so it was a thrill to be invited, I hope to return soon!
MEAWW: What kind of system do you like working with when playing at an event? Is there any set that you particularly enjoy?
Yves V: I take the approach to each live show individually and differently and really try to read the audiences. For some events, like larger festivals, fans might not automatically be there just to see me, so I like to play with some mash-ups and remixes, compared to a club show where I might be headlining and can take things a little more deeper or leftfield. As long as I can get people dancing and go along for the ride with me, that is the best feeling!
MEAWW: Remixing a track is not an easy task. How do you come about finding the right pitch for each track?
Yves V: I like to play with deeper sounds, these days more deep house-leaning in comparison to big-room styles although I do still play with those now and again. I will always see what inspires me about the original, sometimes it could be a vocal hook, and sometimes it could be a melody that I want to reinterpret with my dance music stamp.
MEAWW: When you are working with an original composition how do you go working on it usually?
Yves V: Again, this changes every time! As I mentioned, I really enjoy working with vocalists so sometimes the inspiration will come from a specific tone of a vocalist that I love, other times it will be working with my engineer in the studio to take it more production and instrumental-heavy.
MEAWW: You have collaborated and made remixes with huge names like Steve Aoki, Icona Pop, Afrojack and more. How was your experience? Was there added pressure while working with them?
Yves V: I never feel an added pressure in that sense, as I always find it exciting and refreshing to collaborate in the studio, especially with my peers that are killing it in the game so jumping into the studio to make some magic is always an amazing feeling!
MEAWW: You are set to play on the main stage of Tomorrowland with some big names and have been a regular host for years. How do you prepare for it so each year is new and exciting?
Yves V: Myself and my brothers Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike are the only two main stage residents which never gets old! I’ve been a part of Tomorrowland since its inception and to see how much it has grown, to now be one of the largest festivals in the world, feels like nothing else – the production of the event outdoes itself every year on year and I always say is a must-attend for any music fan. I’m constantly working on new music, yet I want to bring some bombastic and classic anthems to my sets, so I always bring a combination of party-starting tracks and an aim to tease my own as some exclusives as Tomorrowland is the perfect stage to do this!
MEAWW: Take us through V-Sessions. What was your aim behind creating the radio show?
Yves V: V-Sessions has also spanned events, including hosting my own stage at Tomorrowland that has allowed us to invite some huge guests over the years all curated by myself! The radio show I see as an extension of what I want to offer my fans as a producer, allowing them to take a look into my world, what I’m listening to as a DJ and also giving fans the chance to experience an Yves V set wherever they are listening from in the world.
MEAWW: To those who aspire to become a DJ, what would be the one lesson you would like to share with them?
Yves V: Perseverance is key! Success doesn’t just happen overnight and sometimes, any artist will face obstacles and No’s in their career but if you believe in your skill and what you’re aiming for, things will fall into a positive place.
MEAWW: What were some of the challenges you faced when you decided to pursue a path of DJ-ing?
Yves V: I was a teacher before I took the leap of wanting to be a DJ and producer full time, so that was mentally challenging at first, worrying if I’d made the right decision leaving a traditional and “stable” career to pursue my passion, but I don’t regret a thing! Overcoming self-doubt and really believing that I could do this helped my vision become more clearer as to who I wanted to be as Yves V the artist.
MEAWW: Keeping your quote “it’s getting insane” in mind, what do you have planned next? Could you give us a little sneak peek?
Yves V: I’ve been so happy that this year I’ve released on many different labels including Alok’s Controversia Records with tracks like ‘Imagine Me & You’ and ‘Just Wanna Be Loved’, as well as returning to Spinnin’ Records for my recent collab with INNA and Janieck – I’ll have new music coming very soon but you can be the first to find out by keeping up to date with me on my social media! I’ll also be hitting up the festival circuit this summer, after what feels like so long after Covid-19, where I will be touring across Europe with more to be announced soon enough - I hope to make it over to India and The East before the end of the year to party with you all in person!
Listen to Yves V’s remix of VIVIZ’s song ‘Bop Bop’ below.